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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. march — music
  3. spring — of water
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. current — of water
  7. march — the month
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ground — the earth
  10. spring — a coil
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. kick — in football
  15. current — electric
  16. key — in music
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — crushed
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. spring — the season
  22. ground — a position
  23. key — the most important part
  24. vault — a safe

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com